Home Time
by AlternativeRocker
Summary: Serena gets drunk at a party so Ric helps her to get home and is unsure about leaving her in an empty house in her state. Ric/Serena one-shot.


**Author's Note:** My first go at a Holby fic so apologies for OOC-ness or whatever. :) Ric/Serena fluff all the way in this one-shot.

* * *

"Serena, you're drunk." Ric looked over at the woman opposite him as she finished the drink in front of her. It was a celebration for Jonny's birthday but more than a few guests and the birthday boy himself were past the point of mere tipsiness.

"It's a party, you are supposed to get drunk but I'm not drunk yet so it doesn't matter. Stop fussing about me, it is my life!" She said before she stumbled across to the bar to order another glass of red wine. He knew it was ultimately her choice but even after all the nights they had shared company in Albie's he had never seen her that intoxicated.

Serena did find herself back at his table and if she had been coherent enough to think then she would have reasoned that it was because he was safe, a comforting shoulder to rest her head on when she finally allowed the drowsiness to catch up with her. As soon as he felt the weight and her hair tickling the side of his neck he gently shook his head and nudged her awake. Nobody else was batting an eyelid since most of them were in the same state as her.

"Serena, time to go home, come on." She grumbled sleepily as she let him pull her to her feet but obliged to be coerced into leaving the fun of this particular occasion. At that point he could sense a few guests had noticed, in particular Edward, and could only sigh deeply at the thought of the rumours that were bound to travel around the wards the following day.

His hand was on the top of her hip, keeping her standing upright as a taxi stopped to let them in and he slid her in to the back seat first before joining her. When the driver asked for the address Ric gave him Serena's as it was closer and in the same direction as his own, but as they neared the property he realised he could not simply leave her there. She had told him earlier that Eleanor was staying with her grandmother for a couple of nights meaning that she would be alone in the house; something he was not entirely comfortable with given that she yet to open her eyes fully after that last drink.

Glancing over at her he saw that she had left her jacket at the party so quickly texted Jac - who had not been drinking because of her pregnancy - asking her to pick it up. She replied within the minute asking if that had been the only item of her clothing he had so far removed or if that was what he was doing while texting, unsurprisingly he chose not to answer.

Finally at her house he paid the fare and found her keys in the little clutch bag she had taken with her and opened the door. He had been inside her home once before to drop off a file so only knew where the living room and kitchen were, the upstairs level was unknown territory to him.

"Serena, can you climb the stairs and get to your bedroom?"

"I think it it pretty obvious I cannot do the first part of that task but I know where to find my room," she said, giggling softly.

He walked behind her as she made her way up, his hands near her waist, ready to catch her when she tripped which she did more than a couple of times. Not that this was a horrible experience for him in the slightest; after the alcohol he had consumed himself he found it natural to appreciate the curvy figure in front and the throaty laugh he secretly liked so much.

She led him to an open door on the left of the landing and he was going to wait outside there until she was definitely lying down sleeping. There was no hope of her changing out of the dress and he was certainly not going to help with that, but as he considered this she managed to miss the room and walked straight in to the door-frame, letting out a small squeal. He quickly reached out to her and could not tell if she was laughing or crying as he made sure she was okay and without any open cuts but it looked as though she would only be bruised in the morning.

Moving her in to the room she looked up at him, her cheeky smirk heightened by the brightness of her eyes, "Mr Griffin, you aren't supposed to be in here, I could say you are taking advantage of me," she raised an eyebrow before pressing her index finger against his nose.

"You know I would never do that to you, and you hate the HR department as much as the rest of us. Good night Serena," he planned to give her cheek a small kiss as they had done in the past but she turned her head at the exact same time and their lips touched. It sparked something indescribable in both of them, the alcohol in their systems causing them to keep the contact going, his hand cupping her jaw while the other got tangled in her short hair as her own ran up his sides and before her palms stopped against his chest. Instinctively her lips parted, allowing the kiss to deepen and become more heated, both lost in the feel of the other taking over their every cell.

Until they had to break for air. The sudden rush of oxygen made Ric come to his senses instantly, stepping back and silently chastised himself for doing what he had explicitly promised not to, but her response had been unexpected and felt like she had wanted it to happen.

"Sorry, I'll be downstairs sleeping on your sofa, if you need anything or feel really ill. Just give me a shout, okay?" Serena stared at him blankly, nodding a little to answer and shuffled across to her bed as she tried to ascertain whether she had drunkenly imagined that kiss or not.

As soon as her head hit the pillow however she fell sound asleep unlike Ric who took a spare pillow from the other side of the bed and lay awake on the hard leather couch for what felt like hours, the curtains were not even shielding out the street light as he wished upon everything possible that she would forgive his actions.

* * *

Squeezing her eyes tightly shut and pressing the pillow hard against her ears she wished whoever had the pneumatic drill outside would stop it; it was only when she tried to sit up that she realised it was not machinery at all - it was the pounding of her own head. Serena attempted to recall the previous evening but could manage just a handful of memories involving mostly Ric and him bringing her home. There was also one including a kiss but she made herself believe that could only be a dream.

She groaned when she noticed she was still in the same clothing as the day before so found a clean shirt and trousers before dragging herself to the bathroom to brush her teeth and splash her face with freezing cold water. As she ran a hand across her face she winced as she came across the beginning of a large bruise down the centre of her forehead and failed to understand how that had appeared.

Considering the possibility of Ric being a true gentleman by staying over she looked in each of the rooms upstairs then quietly crept down to check for him. When she entered the living room she saw him immediately, still asleep on the couch with a single pillow under his head. In the kitchen she raked through a drawer to find the paracetamol her head so desperately craved, as she smiled at the fact he was there to look after her.

Once back in the same room as him Serena sat on the armchair opposite and simply stared at him. In the year or so they had known each other she had never seen him look so calm and untroubled, and he looked the better for it. The thought of the kiss returned to the front of her mind, it seemed more vivid than any other dreams she could recall having - not that Ric had been in _that_ many of her nightly imaginations, but there was a difference.

She was unsure of how long she sat in that position before he started to shift awake, his eyelids fluttering as his brain moved into consciousness. At the sight of the shirt and dress trousers the events of the evening came rushing back an his eyes focused on the woman with her chin resting on her hand, watching him intently.

"Morning Serena, you should have woke me, how is the head?"

"You were too peaceful, and that is a low blow because you know exactly how much pain I am in. Unless I am mistaken this is my house."

He sat up with only a minor dull pain in his head, "It is, but there was no way I would leave you in an empty house when you could not even try to open your front door."

"You make it sound as though I was paralytic! Do you want a coffee?"

"You were, and if you are having one then yes I will." She stood and made her way to the kitchen while he got to his feet.

"If I find a single incriminating picture of me I will hold you personally responsible. Milk? Sugar?" They moved around the room in perfect harmony, teasing and chatting as she made some toast, wishing she was back in bed or able to take extra painkillers.

"How much do you remember?"

It was futile to pretend to him about this, "A bit of the start then it starts to blur and only little bits and pieces after that. I vaguely recall you bringing me here and then some things that may have been dreams."

That last comment caught his attention, "Like what?"

By this point they had sat down at the small wooden table next to the window which allowed her to place her head on her arms, almost parallel with the table-top, to ease the nausea. "Well, did I hit you on the face or something?"

"You pressed your finger against my nose."

She made an unimpressed sound, disgusted that she had actually done such a ridiculous thing, "Did I sing in any way?"

He tried not to laugh, "No, unfortunately I was not witness to that."

"Good; one dream out of two is better than nothing. Third and last... did we kiss?" She had to ask, no matter how awkward it was she had to know, and she decided to look at him for this one regardless of the drum-like beat in her head.

The question hung in the air as she looked in his eyes, he tried to avert his gaze as he wondered whether or not the truth was the best option. The obvious choice was to lie and carry on as they were, but something inside him did not want to lie to her even over a drunken mistake. And he wanted to find out one way or the other why she had responded: the alcohol or feelings that he was only beginning to admit to carrying in his own self. Telling the truth could have it's own pitfalls yet the risk of losing her completely was overshadowed by the hideously small chance of her wanting to know him in a deeply personal way.

"Let me start by saying that I did not in any way mean to take advantage of your condition-"

"A yes or a no answer will suffice. I shall take responsibility also for anything that may have occurred on account of the copious glasses I got through."

"Yes, we kissed after you walked into your door-frame upstairs when I was trying to ensure you got to your bed safely. I meant to kiss your cheek but you turned in the split second before."

He could not read her expression as he told her the facts or in the minutes of silence afterwards.

"I wasn't sure what I wanted you to say but I am glad you did tell the truth. We didn't do... go any..."

"No, no I swear that was all." From the fragment she could remember and the sincerity in his voice she knew that it had only gone as far as that although it had lasted longer than he made out. She had a feeling that she had wanted it to go further at the time - she turned her head away at that thought and the idea that she still wished in a way that it had continued - which made him look at her with a confused smirk on his face.

"Why did you choose to be my help to get home?"

"We had spent the majority of the party in each other's company and I felt responsible for you; you're my friend."

"Thank you, honestly Ric, can you imagine if you ha left me?!" She paused as her phone vibrated, alerting her to a new text message. When she had finished reading it she shook her head and motioned for Ric to read it. Instead of chancing their luck by taking it from her delicate grasp in case their skin accidentally brushed or such like, he stood and leaned over her shoulder to see the screen which he saw had Edward's name as the sender.

"_Hope you and Holby's answer to Casanova had a fun night. Say hello to him from me when you eventually break for air. xx_"

"Seems he got your reputation spot on," she joked, trying to ignore she could feel his breath on her collar bone.

Ric laughed as she twisted her head to look at his side profile. Pressing her lips against his cheek briefly she muttered a "Hello" against his warm skin, he raised an eyebrow as he tried to calculate whether she may still have been drunk but gave up thinking and gently touched his mouth against hers. Serena had no clue where she had got the courage to do that but that didn't bother her too much as she smiled in to the kiss which was sobering her up perfectly while she pulled him around to face her. His back was digging against the table edge behind him but he felt no pain as he leaned down to be able to reach her lips and body, enjoying every second of looking after his friend.


End file.
